SPAWNING

This morning when I came down to feed my African Malawi Cichlids I was fortunate to watch Bubba and Stella spawning. It was so interesting to watch the process. Stella would lay her eggs and quickly turn around picking them up. Bubba then came and did his shiver-shake while Stella gathered her eggs taking in his sperm thereby fertilizing the eggs in her mouth. I watched them repeat this process over and over again. 

Stella now is hanging out in the plants with a mouth full of eggs. In about 4 weeks we will have fry in the tank. I have thought about removing her but have decided to allow nature to take it's course and let her and Bubba protect their young as they would in the wild.

It's easy to tell if a Cichlid is holding eggs in her mouth. If you look at their gills and follow them down to below her mouth where they create a triangle. That triangle becomes a pouch where the eggs are held. I'm excited and will keep you posted as to the progress of Bubba and Stella.